Rainbow Carrot Tortellini

You’ll never see this root vegetable quite the same again with these adorably delicious carrot “tortellini” by artful pasta-maker Nina Gleason. Photo by Dave Bryce for TABLE Magazine.

Mother’s Day is a day to show that special lady in your life just how special she really is! What says “I love you” more fulsomely than fresh homemade pasta? Making fresh pasta is a true labor of love, but one that yields great rewards!

If you want to skip a few steps, you can purchase fresh ravioli or tortellini from a local store, and focus on stirring up a lovely Herby Brown Butter sauce. Plated with fresh dill, lemon zest, fennel pollen, dabs of fresh goat cheese and shaved parmesan, your pasta will shine like the love you’re trying to express. You can also use Herby Brown Butter to spruce up any pasta or sauteed or roasted vegetable. Or you can cook up these gorgeous, carrot-shaped gems from scratch and wow your friends and family.

Traditional wine recommendation: Sancerre

Experimental pairing: Bandol Rosé

Basic Pasta Dough Recipe

350g ‘00’ Flour (or All-Purpose can work)

200g Eggs (room temperature) (3 or 4 eggs + 2 extra yolks)

Make a well in the flour, add eggs.

With a fork, mix eggs together, then start slowly incorporating flour. Take your time.

Keep adding until you get a shaggy ball, and then you can finally start kneading it.

Knead for about 10-15 minutes until smooth ball and flour/egg thoroughly mixed together.

If it seems dry, lightly wet your hands, and continue kneading until smooth.

Cover in bowl or with plastic wrap and let rest at least 30 minutes and up to an hour before rolling out and shaping.

To color dough naturally, you can use vegetable powders and purees.

For rainbow carrots, use pureed beets for purple, tomato paste for orange, and spinach puree for green. If coloring the pasta, substitute about 35-50g of egg for the purees.

Carrot Filling Recipe

600g roasted or sauteed carrots (dice before cooking)

10 oz ricotta

20g finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

4 oz chevre or goat cheese

1 tbsp chopped parsley

½ tbsp chopped dill (can use more to you liking)

Splash lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

After roasting the carrots until they are soft, puree them until a mostly smooth consistency.

Mix the remaining ingredients in bowl, then add carrot puree to them,

and fold together until well mixed.

Avoid over mixing so your filling doesn’t become too soft.

You can use this filling for any stuffed pasta!

Herby Brown Butter Sauce Recipe

2 servings (double for more servings)

10 oz filled pasta

4 tbsp butter

Reserve 4 tbsp pasta water

Heaping handful Parsley (or any fresh herb you prefer)

1 tbsp lemon zest

Salt & Pepper

When pasta water is coming to a boil, add butter to frying pan over med-high heat.

As the butter starts to melt, swirl & stir often.

The browning process happens rather quickly, so keep a close eye.

Once the butter starts to bubble, add a few turns of fresh cracked pepper. (this step is optional)

The butter will start to darken, and the most lovely nutty smell will start to fill the air… this is when you know it is about done. Remove from heat and set aside; you will be adding the pasta directly to this pan.

Once the pasta is cooked, set aside your pasta water.

Place pan with butter back over medium heat and add pasta with slotted spoon directly into butter. Also add 2 tbsp of reserved pasta water as well. Bring to light boil for a few minutes and gently stir. The sauce will start to thicken.

Add herbs, cook another two minutes, and remove from heat.

Stir in some of the leftover pasta water until desired consistency. About a tablespoon should do. Also add in about ½ tbsp of the lemon zest at this point. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Top finished pasta with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh herbs, and more lemon zest.

Story and Recipe by Nina Gleason / Photography by Dave Bryce / Styling by Keith Recker Wine Pairing by Camila Alarcón Cordón

To create a fantastic Mother’s Day meal for the special woman in your life, try TABLE Magazine’s menu suggestions:

Spring Pea Cocktail by Star LaLiberte

Deviled Eggs paired with a sparkling rosé by Camila Alarcón Cordón

Rainbow Carrot Tortellini by Nina Gleason

Pomegranate Molasses-Roasted Lamb Shoulder by Lisa Theuer

Baklava Sundae by Maria Dudek